Changes Are Beginning
by tomisaqt
Summary: This is the last story in the Baby on the Way? series. Hermione is now a student at Hogwarts. Will she get her wish, or will she once again be disappointed? Find out in this angst filled chapter of Hermione Granger's childhood. JKR owns HP not me!
1. The Start of Something New

**Here's the last story in the Baby on the Way? series. I hope you like it. I'm not going to be as cruel and heartless this time. Hermione may, possibly, get her wish. There will be bits and pieces of Hogwarts life tying in with the books. Reviews and ideas are welcome!**

* * *

Hermione Jane Granger stepped off the train after the end of her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She glanced around the platform in search of her mother and father.

She rushed over to her parents, who were standing in a corner of the station. Amy and Jason Granger greeted their only daughter with a hug and kiss.

"How was school, dear?" Mrs. Granger asked.

"It was great Mum!" Hermione exclaimed. Her parents were glad to see her happy again. Ever since Ethan had died, she had been very secluded and depressed, not wanting to go out with her friends. It had really shaken her up when she found her brother dead in his crib.

"That's wonderful, dear," her father replied, beaming.

"I've made some friends too! Two of them are over there with their families. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley are my best friends."

Her parents exchanged glances of pure joy. Hermione hadn't been this ecstatic since the beginning of the fifth grade, almost two years prior to this.

"Hermione, dear," her mother interrupted. "We have a surprise waiting for you at the house, so can you please hurry?"

"What kind of surprise?" she asked.

"You'll only get to see if you hurry up!" her father exclaimed, laughing.

The car ride home was filled with prompting from Hermione. She was eager to learn what her parents had in store for her.

"Is it…a puppy?" she asked.

"We're not saying, dear."

Her parents were only too happy when they reached the Granger household a mere ten minutes later.

"Now will you tell me?" she asked as they unloaded her trunk and other luggage out of the car.

"We're home, now, dear. You'll see when you get inside the house."

They followed their daughter up the steps and into the house. They both smiled in secret joy at what they new their child's reaction would be.

"Grandma, Grandpa, what are you doing here?" she exclaimed, immediately being wrapped up in bear hugs.

"We wanted to see you when you got home. And we wanted to be here when your parents gave you your surprise," her grandfather answered.

A little girl of around a year old toddled into the room. She could barely walk, and it was obvious that she was being taught.

"Mum, who's this? Whose baby is this? I wasn't gone long enough for you to get pregnant and have another child, was I?" she asked.

"No, dear, I wasn't pregnant. The doctors said that the chances of me having another child are even slimmer than before. This is Annisa. She's your new foster sister. Your father and I were lonely, and we knew how much you wanted a sibling, so we talked to the foster center and, after a lot of time, patience, and paperwork, we officially became foster parents," her mother explained.

"When social services find someone who wishes to adopt Annisa, they'll come and take her to her new home and we'll get another child. So it'll be like having a lot of siblings that don't live with us for very long," her father added.

"How long will we get to keep Annisa; or any of the foster children, for that matter?" Hermione asked.

"We don't know, dear. It depends on when social services finds them new, permanent homes. Our home, and other foster families' homes, is just temporary families and houses for the kids."

Hermione seemed pleased by this and walked up the stairs with Annisa tagging along behind her.

* * *

July came and Hermione received her Hogwarts letter. Her parents took her to Diagon Alley, leaving Annisa with Mrs. Granger's parents.

July went by quickly, and Hermione enjoyed teaching Annisa how to walk. It was something she had never been able to finish with her brother.

* * *

August was upon them before they knew it. Annisa turned two, and Hermione had finally taught her how to walk.

Two weeks before Hermione left for school, however, something unfortunate happened to them.

"Hello, Granger residence, Hermione speaking. May I please ask who is calling?" Hermione answered the phone.

"Yes, this is Anna Greene from the London branch of social services. Is either Jason or Amy Granger available?" the lady asked.

"Hold on one moment, please," she replied. She set down the phone and called her mother's name.

"Mum, someone's on the telephone for you!" she called.

"Coming, dear!" she heard faintly.

Her mother took the phone from her and walked back upstairs and locked her bedroom door. Hermione heard Annisa crying from upstairs, so she went to get her out of the crib. On her way to get her, she overheard her mother crying.

"Are you sure that this is the only way?" Amy sobbed from the other side of the door.

Silence followed.

"But isn't there a way that we could-" she stopped short.

More silence.

"Is this absolutely for real? They've been checked out, and they've got a good history?"

Another moment's silence followed this. She heard her mother sigh and hang up the phone. Hermione left and walked to Annisa's room. Annisa had been crying the whole time that Hermione was listening.

"Hey Annisa," she said, picking her up out of her crib. "How was your nap?" She didn't expect an answer, but she always talked to her anyways.

Annisa cooed and put her head on Hermione's shoulder. As they walked down the steps, Hermione noticed that her mother's door was still shut. She kept walking though.

She put one of Annisa's video cassettes in the VCR and sat her down on the couch. Hermione started to cook supper so that it was ready when her father came home from work.

Supper was halfway ready when her father walked through the front door.

"I'm home!" he called like he did every day for Annisa's purpose.

Just like she did every day, she ran to the front door and Hermione's father picked her up and swung her around. Hermione joined them in the hallway and gave her father a hug.

"Any news today?" he asked, still smiling.

"I don't know. Mum's been locked up in her room for a couple of hours now. She got a phone call and then started crying."

"Oh dear," her father muttered under his breath. He handed Annisa to Hermione and ran up the steps. She heard him knock at the door and decided not to eavesdrop this time. She returned Annisa to the couch in front of her video and went to finish supper.

Hermione had just finished supper and began setting the table when her parents came down the stairs. Her mother's face was tear-streaked and her voice was slightly shaky when she spoke.

"This dinner looks lovely Hermione," her mother said softly.

"Thank you, Mum," she replied brightly, trying to make it seem like she didn't know anything was wrong.

Her parents sat down at the table as Hermione filled their glasses with water and Annisa's spill-proof cup with milk. She sat down across from Annisa in her normal seat.

Mr. Granger cleared his throat and looked at his wife. She sighed and started to speak.

"I have some unfortunate news. Annisa won't understand what's going on, but you will Hermione. The lady who called earlier was from social services. They've found a family to adopt Annisa and we're to meet them on Saturday with all of her belongings," she said.

Tears returned to her mother's eyes and Hermione stared down at her plate. She couldn't believe it. She finally had a sibling who didn't die and now she's being taken away. Hermione ran up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door.

"Hermione dear?" her mother asked. "Are you okay?"

"I just got told that my sister is being taken away from me. I'm perfectly okay, Mum," she said a little more sarcastically than she had meant to.

"We told you that this would happen, dear. We've had her for a few months. We warned you that she could be taken away from us at any moment. It just had to happen while you were still here. I'm sorry, honey. We'll get a new one soon. Maybe this one will be an infant. Infants don't get taken away until they're at least a year old through this particular social service department."

* * *

Saturday came and the Granger family loaded into their car. Hermione stared out the window during the long ride to the social services building.

A couple with a child who looked to be about 3 years old stood beside a van. Her parents got out of the car and Hermione followed, removing Annisa from the booster seat.

"Are you the McDaniels?" Mr. Granger asked.

"Yes, we are. Are you the Grangers and is this Annisa?" the women, who Hermione assumed to be Mrs. McDaniels, asked.

"Yes. I'm Jason; this is my wife Amy and our daughter Hermione. We were devastated to receive the call but we know that you'll be a good family for Annisa. Hermione fell in love with her when she returned from school in June and has since taught her to walk."

"Returned from school? Does your daughter go to boarding school?" Mr. McDaniels asked.

"Yes, our daughter is very intelligent. Her school is very hard to be accepted into, and if you aren't accepted before you turn 11 there's no chance to be accepted," her mother said proudly.

"That's quite an accomplishment, young lady. How old are you?" he asked Hermione.

"I'm eleven," Hermione said shyly.

"Well, you're a very lucky child."

"Hermione loves Annisa. She's had a very tough time with siblings," Mr. Granger replied.

"Jealousy?"

"No, she's had 4 siblings in her lifetime, one of which died of SIDS before she was born. Her two sisters passed only a matter of days after they were born and Hermione found her brother dead in his crib. He had died of SIDS at only about 6 months old."

"I'm sorry to hear that. You guys have had a tough time. I understand why you got attached to her. We'll be sure to give her a good home. This is Kalynn. She's been asking for a younger sister since the day she could talk. She was our miracle baby. We can't have any more children so we told her we'd adopt one for her. Annisa is perfect."

Mrs. McDaniels took Annisa from her and Hermione went to get the booster seat. She heard Kalynn talking to Annisa.

"Hi I'm Kalynn! I'm your new big sister! You get to come home and live with me. I'm going to brush your hair and do your make up and paint your nails and put you in some of my dresses and we can play house together!" she said enthusiastically. She heard Annisa crying for her parents.

Hermione came back with the car seat and handed it to the McDaniels'.

As they loaded her in the van, Annisa yelled, "Mummy! Daddy!" in between sobs. "Mione!" she sobbed.

Everyone stopped. These were her first words and they were to her foster family.

"Annisa!" Hermione cried.

The McDaniels drove off and Hermione cried even harder. They got in their car and left.

* * *

**End of chapter 1. I wanted to make it longer because I'm only going to make it 10 chapters. So it'll be like 1 chapter per year of school and then a few in between for a few summers. I hope you like it so far. Reviews help oh so much!**


	2. Sad Goodbyes

**Wow, this has been the quickest I've updated all year! So if you guys like it, I'll continue. Again, if anyone has any ideas for a different title, please share. Otherwise, here's chapter 2! The middle of the chapter doesn't exactly fit with the 3rd book because if I remember correctly the whole trio remains at school for the winter holidays. So if they did and you are extremely picky about the events matching up perfectly, skip to the second half of the chapter, easy as that!**

* * *

Hermione left for her second year at Hogwarts considerably less enthusiastic than she had been at the start and end of her first year.

Her family had still not been matched with another foster child, but her parents promised to send a photograph and letter as soon as social services placed another one in their care.

She boarded the train to see that her best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, were not on the train. She heard rumours that they had been driving a flying car, but she was sure they wouldn't possibly do something that stupid.

The train arrived at school and Hermione found that the rumours on the train had been true. She found Harry and Ron after the feast and chewed them out for being so ignorant of the rules.

* * *

The school year passed uneventful, until close to the end of the year when she was petrified by a giant snake. Harry and Ron saved her and the whole school from a horrible death, though. 

There had still been no news on a new family member, however. She was worried that something happened to cause her parents to be out of the running for a new foster child.

She sat quietly on the train, waiting anxiously to arrive home. Harry and Ron kept attempting to break her out of her deep train of thought, but she ignored them.

The train finally arrived at King's Cross station and Hermione was the first one off the train. She rushed through the barrier to the Muggle World and looked frantically for her parents. They stood against a wall, trying to be invisible to the busy businessmen in transport to and from work.

"Mum! Dad!" she cried, dropping her belongings on the ground and wrapping them in a hug. Then she noticed a little boy in an infant seat between her parents. "Who's this?" she asked.

"This, Hermione, is Ethan Amar. His parents are currently in jail for child abuse. He came to live with us yesterday. We didn't get a chance to send you a letter, dear," her mother replied. "He's only six months old. Poor child; he wasn't the one being abused, though. His older sister has been in and out of the hospital several times in the past month and is currently seeking psychological help in a mental institute because of the verbal abuse and hurtful things she has seen from her parents. They also, accidentally of course but it was still abuse all the same, killed their oldest son. They took Ethan and his sister away before that could be their end as well."

Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes as she looked down at the infant.

"Come, dear," Mr. Granger said. "We've got to leave now. People need to get through here."

The family left and she was considerably happier than when she had left for school.

* * *

The summer passed and Ethan continued to grow. To Hermione, it was like having her little brother back at home with her. She said goodbye to her family on the first of September, and gave Ethan an extra big hug.

* * *

Hermione was excited when she returned home at Christmas during her 3rd year of Hogwarts. Her parents had told her that in addition to Ethan, a little girl named Laura had been placed in their care. 

Her parents met her at the train station two weeks before Christmas Day and immediately upon seeing her new foster sibling, picked her up and swung her around.

"Who awe you?" Laura asked shyly.

"My name is Hermione. What's your name?" she asked, although she already knew what her name was.

"My name is Lauwa Tannew," she replied just as softly.

"That's a beautiful name!" Hermione beamed. Laura smiled and hid her face in her shoulder. "Are you shy, Laura?" she asked.

"Mummy says that I'll gwow out of it. Whewe is my mummy?"

The family looked at each other, not sure what to tell the toddler.

"Dear, you'll be back with your mother in a few months. She's just very sick and she doesn't want you to get sick too," Mrs. Granger finally said.

The air lightened after that.

"How old are you, Laura?" Hermione asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"I'm fouw years old!" she exclaimed, holding up 3 fingers. Hermione laughed.

"You're adorable, did you know that?"

"Yes, I did. Mummy tells me that all the time!" the little girl smiled.

The family left the train station and headed home.

* * *

Christmas break passed and Hermione returned to school.

* * *

Third year passed quickly for Hermione and she returned home, excited to see her parents and foster siblings. 

She was invited to attend the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasleys and Harry at the end of the summer. As Hermione packed, she heard the phone ring downstairs.

"I'll get it!" her mother called.

Hermione ignored it and kept packing. Then she heard her mother replace the phone on its receiver. She rushed downstairs to see what could possibly make her so upset.

"Mum, what is it?" she asked worriedly.

"That was social services. They're taking Laura away," her mother replied.

"Why? Are we not taking care of her enough? Why are they taking Laura away and not Ethan too?" Hermione was confused.

"Laura's mother died last night. They found a family who has agreed to adopt Laura."

It took Hermione a moment to recognize what her mother was saying. "What? Somebody's adopting Laura? Why can't we adopt her, Mum? This is the second time! Why can't we adopt her and Ethan?" She broke into tears and sat on the couch.

"Hermione dear, we're not in any position, financially, physically or emotionally, to adopt a child. We were barely even considered for foster care. There's nothing we can do about Laura. The family has already completed the paper work. They're picking her up tomorrow afternoon."

"What about Ethan? Are we just going to wait around for them to come take Ethan away too? This is the second foster kid they're taking away from us! It's just like losing Dracyn and Bethany and Ethan over and over again, every time they take a child away from us! Do you know how much I'd love to finally be able to say that I have a sibling that didn't die after a few months?"

She rushed up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door. She heard Ethan wake up from his nap and scream, but she ignored it. A few hours later she heard her father open the door and announce that he was home, followed by Laura rush to him screaming, just like she and Annisa used to do.

Her bedroom door opened, but she ignored it. She felt the end of her mattress depress under her mother's weight. She rolled over and looked into her eyes.

"Hermione, that was a very childish way to act. We explained to you when you first came home two years ago that we'd have several children in and out of the house, each living with us for different amounts of time until social services can find permanent homes for them. We told you that our home is merely a temporary home for children whose parents are incapable of caring for them."

"I know, Mum, but every time I find out that another foster sibling is being taken away from us, it's like finding out Dracyn, Bethany and Ethan are dead all over again. I hate that feeling. I don't think I can stand to see Ethan be taken away, too!"

Her mom hugged her. "Hermione, we don't need to worry about them taking Ethan away any time soon."

"But Mum, he's a year old now. They're allowed to look for an adoptive family now!"

"Dear, they said that he's going to stay with us till he's several years older. They think it would be better for him to stay in one spot till he's a little older."

Hermione's eyes lit up. She almost forgot why her eyes were swollen until Laura opened the door, followed by Ethan, who kept falling every few steps. Seeing Laura caused all the memories to rush back to her and she remembered why she had been crying.

"Oh, Laura, I'm going to miss you so much!" she said, sweeping her into a hug and kissing her on the top of the head.

"Why you gonna miss me, Mione?" she asked, confused. "I still here!"

"You're going to live with your new mummy and daddy tomorrow, Laura."

"But I wanna stay hewe with you!" she exclaimed

"You're going to love your new family, Laura!" Hermione said.

"Will you come visit me?" she asked.

"Of course I will! We all will: me, my mum and dad, and Ethan!"

"Okay, then I bettew!"

* * *

The family said goodbye to Laura the next day, and it was somewhat less tear-jerking of an experience than the first time a child had been removed from their household. 

Hermione left for the Weasley's house the next week, kissing Ethan and her parents goodbye before she stepped into the fireplace.


	3. Good News At Last

* * *

Hermione, Harry, and the Weasleys attended the Quidditch World Cup, and until the end, thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Her fourth year passed by quickly, and before she knew it, summer was here. It had been quite a different year, with the Triwizard Tournament and Voldemort returning.

She found her parents awaiting her arrival in a corner of King's Cross station when she passed through the barrier between the Muggle World and Platform 9 and ¾. Ethan stood between their feet and, upon seeing her, ran to her with wobbly legs. She picked him up, grateful that there had been no further changes in their living arrangements since she had last seen them.

"How are you Ethan?" she asked.

He smiled and had a thoughtful look on his face before he replied "Good!"

"That's great! How old are you know?"

He took his right hand and moved the fingers on his left hand so that he only held up 2 fingers.

"You're two already?" she asked, pretending to be shocked. He nodded and buried his face in her shoulder.

She walked over to join her parents in the corner. "Hello Mum, hello Dad," she said, giving them one-armed hugs.

"Hermione, we've missed you so much!" her mother exclaimed.

"We have some great news to tell you when we get home!" her father added.

"Then let's go!" Hermione almost screamed, causing several commuters to glare at her for the sudden outburst. She apologized under her breath before they departed the station for the car.

The family pulled up in the Grangers' driveway and began to unload Hermione's trunk. Hermione looked beside her to see that Ethan had fallen asleep on the drive home. She unbuckled his baby seat and gently pulled him out, trying not to wake him. He awoke nonetheless and rubbed his eyes.

They followed her parents into the house to see a huge sign that said "Welcome home Hermione!" hanging in the entrance hall.

"You did this for me?" she asked.

"Yes, we did!" her grandmother exclaimed, coming from around the corner holding a sleeping infant.

"We have a baby?" Hermione exclaimed, setting Ethan down on the floor and rushing over to her grandmother. "Mum, were you pregnant?" she asked, clearly surprised.

"Heavens no!" her mother exclaimed, laughing. "This is our newest foster child. She's about 3 months old, but her mother is only 17 and she is incapable of caring for her while she is still in school. So we have her until her mother graduates in two years."

"She's not going to be taken away from us for another two years?" Hermione exclaimed, thrilled at having a baby in the house once more.

"Yes, but we have more news," her father interrupted.

"What?"

"Annisa is coming back!" her mother cried, unable to hold it in any longer.

"I thought that the McDaniels had adopted her," Hermione said slowly.

"Yes, but the social worker that had approved them did not perform a thorough background check on them and learned that they had been former drug addicts with the most recent drug bust being only a few months prior to the adoption. City law requires adoptive parents to be clean from all drug cases for at least six months before they are even _considered_ for adoption."

"So we get her until her mother wins a custody case?" Hermione asked, excited once more.

"Yes, so we're going to have 3 foster children living with us, and two of those are guaranteed for at least 2 more years. Ethan and Megan are considered high-priority clients and are not to be removed from their current families for at least two years."

Hermione returned to her room, considerably more enthusiastic about this summer than she had ever been before.

* * *

**Yeah, a shorter chapter, but that's what you get for it being so quickly. I'll continue to update so long as I'm fueled by your lovely reviews and comments!**


	4. The Truth Comes Out

* * *

Hermione's summer went by quickly and uneventfully. She helped her mother with the other three children by bathing them and taking them to the park so that her mother could have time to herself and get things done that she would not be able to do with two young children running around and an infant crying.

Annisa enjoyed being home with Hermione and her parents. She had thoroughly missed them. Hermione began teaching her the alphabet and to write and read simple words and sentences. Annisa was to begin kindergarten the week after Hermione was to return to Hogwarts for her fifth year.

September 1st came and the Grangers loaded into the minivan they had bought after they found they could not transport all six of their family members in either of their current cars. Annisa said goodbye to her on the platform and gave her a big hug. Ethan did the same, having become very close and attached to Hermione since he had joined the Granger family.

Hermione returned home for Christmas, only to leave after a few days. She became increasingly bored skiing with her parents, considering there were no siblings for her to care for as they had been left with her grandparents.

She joined the Weasleys and Harry at Grimmauld Place, giving support to them while they awaited news on Mr. Weasley's health. Luckily, Mr. Weasley healed and returned home shortly after Christmas.

They returned to school and things turned a little shady for the trio. The three had a fight in which Ron disagreed with Hermione and Harry about how Ginny's behavior should be handled. The story behind Hermione's lack of siblings came out, which was hard for her to explain, even to her best friends.

She had not intended for the story to come out the way it had. But Ron forced her to it, saying that she and Harry didn't know how to handle a younger sibling because neither had any. Harry had no story to tell; the school knew why Harry was the last surviving Potter heir.

Hermione was forced to explain why the only siblings she had were foster siblings. She told her friends that she had previously had 4 siblings, one of which had died before she was born.

She told them about Dracyn, dying a few days after she was born because she was 2 months premature.

She told them about Bethany and Ethan, born on time and fully developed. She explained that Bethany was smaller than Ethan because she had been hidden for six out of the nine months and how that had caused her to receive less food and nutrition than Ethan. She told of finding Ethan, dead in his crib at only six months old, when she was 8 years old.

Hermione finished off her story with her parents becoming foster children and then losing Annisa and Laura, and gaining Ethan and Megan and then getting custody of Annisa once more.

The rest of the year went by quickly and uneventful until the fight at the Ministry and Harry losing Sirius.

Hermione returned home, still sore, and to find her parents and her three foster siblings awaiting her at the station. They stood in the same corner as they always did, squashed against the wall.

"Hermione, we were so worried!" her father exclaimed, hugging her gently.

"Mione, you're okay!" Annisa exclaimed, grabbing Hermione around the neck and holding on.

"Of course I'm okay, Annisa! Would I ever get hurt and leave you here all by yourself?" she asked.

"No," Annisa replied.

"How did kindergarten go, Annisa?" Hermione asked on a more cheerful note.

"I did really good!" she cried. "I made lots of friends and I learned to write better!"

"That's great, Annisa!"

The family piled into the van once more. Megan began crying as soon as Mr. Granger backed out of the parking space. Hermione picked her up and rocked her, and after a few minutes she fell asleep. Hermione placed her gently back in the infant seat, careful not to do anything to wake her up.

Something would change the next summer, whether for the good or bad, nobody would know.

* * *

**Another short chapter. Keep reviewing to find out what happens!**


	5. What's Wrong Now?

**Hey! Another update; I'm on a role! Okay, reviews are great. I hate it when people read my work but don't let me know what they think because it doesn't help me as a writer improve the story to meet everyone's standards. So review please!**

* * *

Hermione enjoyed the little bit of summer she spent with her family. After a few weeks she departed for the Burrow. September 1st came too quickly and they departed for Hogwarts.

School was as uneventful as usual. Who could forget the infamous Umbridge changing every little thing the moment it happened? Things were definitely different without her there. Plus, Snape was now teaching DADA and it was the hardest that the course had ever been.

Harry kept them on their toes with constant accusations of Malfoy being a Death Eater. They tried to tell him that he wasn't, but Harry wouldn't hear it. He ended up being right, though.

Hermione went to Slug Club meetings, however reluctant she was. She tried to stick with Harry, but he had so many lessons with Dumbledore and detentions with Snape that he was rarely ever at the meetings. In those cases, she was sat alone, trying to avoid the others. Sometimes she made excuses to get out of going to the meetings, but she soon ran out of those.

She and Ron soon found out what Harry and Dumbledore's lessons were about. But right before the end of the year, Dumbledore was killed by Snape. Rumours circulated through the school that Hogwarts would not be reopened in the fall.

Exams went as planned, and Hermione, Ron, and Harry boarded the train. Harry and Hermione had to promise Ron that they would be at Fleur and Bill's wedding later that summer.

Hermione walked through the barrier into the Muggle world and noticed that her family wasn't standing in their normal corner. Instead of her parents, she found her grandparents waiting in front of the station. Ethan and Annisa stood by their feet and her grandmother was holding Megan.

She rushed over to them, confused. "Where are Mum and Dad?" she asked.

"Hermione, we have to go. Your grandfather and I are in a rush and we have to be somewhere. Your parents asked us to pick you up and take you to home to babysit the kids."

They ran to the car, leaving Hermione confused and uninformed all the way. They pulled out of the parking lot before Hermione even had time to finish buckling Ethan and Megan into their car seats.

Her grandfather pulled up in front of the Granger house and they began unloading the toddlers.

"Where are my parents?" she asked, immediately noticing that both of the family's cars were missing from the driveway.

"Hermione they're at the hospital," her grandfather finally replied. "Now, we have to go. Please behave and watch your siblings."

She stood, awestruck, staring as her grandparents' car pulled out of the driveway.


	6. Explanations and Reunions

**Yeah, I know the last chapter was short. But I promise they won't be any shorter than that. I wanted to end it in a cliffie. So, review please!**

* * *

"Wait! Why are they at the hospital?" she called. It took her a minute for her to fully comprehend what her grandparents had just told her.

"Mione, are you coming?" Annisa asked from the front door, breaking into Hermione's thoughts.

"Oh," she said, looking up at the house. "Of course, I'm coming. I'll be inside in a moment, okay? How about you take Ethan and sit on the couch. When Megan and I come in I'll put in a video. How does that sound?"

"Okay!" Annisa replied enthusiastically. Hermione watched Annisa take Ethan by the hand and walk back inside the house.

She stood listening to the birds for a minute before Megan's hungry sobs broke into her thoughts. She looked down at the infant and sighed. "Okay, we'll go inside now."

Hermione carried Megan into the house and put a video in the VCR for Annisa and Ethan. Ethan clapped his hands happily and leaned against Annisa. Hermione proceeded into the kitchen and began to make a bottle for Megan. Megan took the bottle appreciatively and attempted to take it from Hermione. She laughed when Megan dropped the heavy bottle. Megan screamed as Hermione bent down to pick the bottle up from the floor.

As Hermione gave the bottle back to the infant, the phone rang. She placed Megan in her highchair with the bottle, careful not to disturb her. She ran to the phone in the hallway and answered it.

"Hello, Granger residence; Hermione speaking. May I ask who's calling, please?" she asked.

"Yes, this is Jason Granger. I was wondering if I could talk to my daughters and son, Hermione, Annisa, Ethan, and Megan," her father replied on the other end.

"Daddy!" Hermione exclaimed, feeling as if she were Annisa's age again.

"Yes, Hermione, it's your dad. Put the phone on speaker so that your siblings can hear."

Hermione did as her father was told and called Annisa and Ethan into the hallway. She set the phone down on the table and picked Megan up out of the highchair.

Annisa and Ethan were talking to her father when she returned. Their conversation made her laugh.

"Is everyone at the phone now?" Mr. Granger asked.

"Yes, Dad, everyone is at the phone."

"Even little Megan?"

"Yes Dad, even Megan is here."

"Good. Now, your mother and I are at the hospital and I'm sure you are wondering why."

"Of course we are!"

"Annisa and Ethan may have noticed Mum getting larger for a few months. That is because she was pregnant. You now have a baby sister."

Hermione gasped. She couldn't believe her mother had been pregnant while she was at school and not told her.

"Is the baby healthy? Is Mum healthy? When do they get to come home?" She was full of questions.

"Yes, they are both healthy and they get to come home in two days."

Annisa spoke up before Hermione could. "What's the baby's name?" she asked.

"Was that Annisa?" Mr. Granger replied.

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

"We named her Kaelyn Belle Granger. She weighs 3.62 kilograms and is 58.42 centimeters long. She's beautiful."

The family hung up and Hermione prepared her siblings for bed as she had been asked.

* * *

Two days passed and her mother and father returned home, with a baby smaller than Ethan had been when they had brought him home from the hospital for the first time.

Annisa ran up to Mr. Granger and he swung her around. Hermione hugged him after he put Annisa down, and Ethan followed Hermione.

She looked down at her baby sister and smiled. She knew this time would be different. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew that Kaelyn wouldn't die this time.

* * *

**3.62 kilograms converts to 8 lbs. in American units. 58.42 centimeters converts to 23 inches in American units. I wanted to use metrics because that is what the Brits use. I hope you liked this chapter. Reviews are loverly!**


	7. Graduation

* * *

The summer passed by quickly for Hermione and before she knew it she was packing for the Burrow. She had, after all, promised Ron that she would be at Fleur and Bill's wedding.

She hated saying goodbye to her family and leaving her parents alone with 4 young children. They said they were fine with it, but she knew that they were dreading being alone with 2 infants and 2 toddlers.

September 1st came and her parents met Hermione, Harry, and the Weasleys at King's Cross station to see them off. They brought all four kids. At ten-thirty, they stood on the wall beside the barrier to the platform.

Hermione allowed Ron and Harry to hold Megan and Kaelyn. Ethan enjoyed having two older boys around and Annisa was pampered by Ginny more than she had ever been by Hermione or her foster parents.

At quarter to eleven the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione said their farewells to her parents and siblings and walked through the barrier to load the train.

The trio's last year at Hogwarts was filled with grief and despair. A few weeks before graduation, Ron was killed by Death Eaters. Harry went off to fight Voldemort and Hermione was injured fighting. Harry returned a week and a half later, critically injured.

Madam Pomfrey fixed Harry and Hermione up in time for their graduation. The mood was greatly saddened, especially with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley choosing to show up to congratulate Hermione and Harry since their parents would obviously not be able to attend the ceremony.

The ceremony went as planned. It ended on a sad note when Professor McGonagall stood at the podium and said a memorial speech for all of those lost in the fight against Voldemort. She added a special note at the end for Ron and Neville and their families.

The students went their separate ways, some heading home with their parents a day early and others choosing to spend an extra day with their friends.

That night was spent doing last minute packing and getting addresses. Nobody wanted to lose contact, especially with their graduate friends.

The next day, everyone brought their trunks to the Entrance Hall. They ate a short breakfast in the Great Hall and then proceeded to the grounds to load the train.

The train ride seemed to be longer than usual. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the train pulled up beside the platform at King's Cross.

Everyone piled into the corridors and jumped off the train. Most of them met their parents on the platform. Hermione and Harry carried their trunks and bags through the barrier to meet Hermione's parents. They had agreed to let Harry sleep in the guest room until he could find an apartment and a job. It hadn't been that hard for her to convince them. He had promised to help with the children, especially Ethan, and help Hermione keep them occupied.

Her parents stood, with all four children, in the same corner that they had stood in since Hermione was eleven. That was seven years ago, and there had only been one homecoming that the corner had been unoccupied.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," Harry greeted them.

"Good afternoon Harry!" Mr. Granger replied cheerfully.

"Hi Mum, hi Dad," Hermione said, giving each of them a hug.

"Hello, Hermione dear. How was school this year? And your graduation?" her mother asked.

"It was beautiful, Mum. I wish you could have been there."

The seven of them left the train station and piled into the family's minivan. When they arrived home, Hermione noticed several cars there. She wondered why.

Her dad parked the car in the driveway and they unloaded the two teenagers' luggage. Hermione opened the front door and a large group of people jumped out at her.

"SURPRISE!" they all yelled.

Behind them was a huge sign that said 'Congratulations on your graduation, Hermione and Harry!'

"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed, giving all her family hugs. Harry stood still, not sure what he should do.

"And we have another surprise for you, too," her mother said, squeezing her shoulder.

"What?" she asked, excited.

* * *

**A cliffie! I love cliffhangers. Review and I'll update! You get to find out the surprise next chapter. Only 3 more chapters!**


	8. Moving

* * *

"What's the big surprise?" she asked.

"We're moving!" her father exclaimed.

"What?" Hermione repeated. This time, it was out of shock, not excitement.

"Our house is too small for the seven of us. Plus, we have foster children in and out of the house all of the time. Your father and I have found a beautiful and lovely house a few blocks down that fits our needs perfectly. That's why you see all of the boxes. We're leaving next week," her mother replied.

Hermione looked at Harry, who stared back at her. She couldn't believe that her family was moving. They were leaving the house where so much had happened. Somebody else would be living in the house where she had lived in all her life, where she had grown up. She understood the need, but couldn't they just add a few more rooms? Did they really have to leave the house? And why were they leaving so soon? Questions flooded her mind too quickly.

"Hermione?" a voice broke into her thoughts. She looked away from Harry and noticed a pair of familiar eyes staring into hers. She couldn't quite place the face to the person. Then the name hit her.

"Todd?" she said, taking his hands.

"Hermione, is that really you?" Todd asked.

"Yes, Todd, it is!" Hermione cried. Hermione let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around his neck. Todd pulled out of the hug and kissed her. She sighed, only realizing afterwards that it was totally unromantic.

"Are you and him, uh, dating?" Todd asked of her and Harry. He remembered them staring at each other and immediately felt awkward.

"No! God, no, Todd! I've been single since…well…let's just say I'm single now," she replied, filling him with relief.

"Have you two ever dated?"

"No. I dated our best friend Ron for a time, but he, um, died a few weeks ago."

Todd stared down at his hands, an awkward silence filling the air once again. Hermione kissed him, and felt him relax.

Saturday came and the family hurried to finish packing. They would be leaving on Monday, and although the most of the belongings were in boxes, there were a few last minute things that had to be done.

The family spent most of Sunday painting the house white. The family who was moving in had asked that all walls that were not previously white be painted that way. Hermione's room, the nursery, her parents' room, the living room and the kitchen all had to be painted before the next day.

Her grandparents came and helped paint and Harry helped as well. Finally, five hours later, all of the walls were stark white and the house smelled of fresh paint.

Annisa, Ethan, Megan, and Kaelyn all fell asleep in their room early that night.

After Hermione put them in bed with their milk and watched them fall slowly asleep, she returned to her room and sat on the edge of her bed, staring out the window at the setting sun.

She felt the bed sink beside her and looked, finding Harry sitting next to her.

"What's the matter, Hermione?" he asked.

"Nothing, I was just thinking of all that has happened in this house," she replied.

The two best friends sat there, staring out the window, time seeming to stop. He gave her a hug before he left.

Harry stopped at the doorway and turned around. "Hermione, I'm not moving with you all."

"What?" she exclaimed. "Why aren't you moving in with us? My parents said you could stay with us as long as you need to!"

"I know that. But Hermione, I've found an apartment that's already ready. It's in Diagon Alley, so I can start the Auror training and get there quickly every day."

"But Harry, I need my best friend to move with me, at least for the first couple of days!"

"Hermione, I'll be just a few minutes away. Any time you need me, just send an owl."

She wrapped him in a hug and cried into his shoulder. He rubbed her back and she quieted down a little bit.

Monday was stressful for the Granger family. Boxes were moved from the house into the moving trucks and their van. The men moved the larger furniture down the stairs and into the trucks. Finally, after the last couch was removed from the house, the family got ready to leave.

Hermione straggled behind, staring at the empty house. She walked through the rooms, her footsteps echoing in the emptiness.

"Hermione!" her father called, his voice resonating all throughout the house.

She closed the front door behind her and got into the van with her family. They drove off and only ten minutes later her father pulled up in the driveway of a huge house. Hermione was the first one out, helping unload Ethan, Megan, and Kaelyn. She carried Megan on her hip and grabbed Kaelyn's baby carrier.

Hermione walked up the steps and opened the front door. She was amazed at the difference in size from her old house. She set Kaelyn down and wandered through the house. She looked out the back door and found Ethan and Annisa already enjoying the backyard and swing set that was left behind by the previous family. Megan cooed in her arms as the two walked up the steps to explore the upstairs.

She found six bedrooms, each equally spacious. She knew that her parents would have the room at the end of the hallway. It was the biggest room in the house, but not by much. She also discovered the room that she wanted. Hermione had always dreamed of having a bedroom with a window seat, and this house had it. It also happened to be the room next to her parents and had its own bathroom.

"Hermione, there's someone here to see you!" her mother called. Hermione rushed down the steps, forgetting that Megan was still on her hip. The baby bounced up and down, enjoying the ride.

"Todd!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I had heard that a new family was moving into this house that had a lot of kids, but I had no idea it would be the Granger family! My parents sent me over to greet you all, and I saw your parents."

'Maybe moving won't be so bad after all,' she thought to herself.

The Grangers finished putting their house back together, each child with their own room with the exception of Kaelyn and Megan who were still young enough to share. It would also make changing diapers and feeding easier on Mrs. Granger. Mr. Granger promised that painting would come in time.

Her father told her to change into an evening dress, so Hermione ran up stairs into her room and searched through her closet. She found only one dress that she felt comfortable wearing: her Yule Ball gown. She quickly fixed her hair and makeup and ran downstairs. The family loaded the van and Hermione noticed that her siblings all were dressed in nice clothes as well.

"Now, you're probably wondering how we could afford such a big house, right?" her father asked as the family left to go out to dinner. Harry and Todd were both meeting the family at the restaurant, but Hermione had no idea where they were going.

"Yes, Dad, I have been wondering that," she replied.

"I received a new job offer. I'm no longer a dentist. Not full-time, at least. I still work at the office on the weekends to help your mother out, but I received a job offer at a big banking corporation and I couldn't help but take them up on it. I've been working there for several months now, and with the kids getting bigger and needing more space and privacy, we knew that we would need a bigger house."

"That's great, Dad!" she exclaimed, happy for her father.

"And you are probably very confused as to where we're going tonight," Mrs. Granger said.

"Yes, I'm very confused. Usually when we go out to dinner on nights like this it's just family, but you invited Harry and Todd to join us."

"Your father's company is having a dinner and dance party in congratulations for a good term. I thought you might like to have a few friends come along."

They arrived at the dance hall where Harry waited for them outside. Hermione hugged him. "You look lovely, Harry," she told him.

"You too, Hermione," he replied. "I wonder where I've seen that dress before," he joked. They followed her parents into the ballroom, Hermione taking Megan from her mother so that her arms weren't quite as full.

The family ate, but Hermione didn't pay attention to what was going on. She was worried because Todd had yet to show up.

"Hermione?" a male voice startled her. She looked up, hoping for it to be Todd, but found only Harry standing above her. "Would you dance with me?" he asked.

"Of course, Harry." She got up and almost immediately the song ended and was replaced by a slow song. She was uncomfortable dancing with him to this, but she continued.

Harry wrapped his around her waist and she put hers around his neck. They danced for a few minutes, and then someone tapped on Harry's shoulder.

They both looked up to find Todd standing in front of them. Hermione realized when she looked up that she had laid her head on Harry's shoulder, unintentionally of course.

"Can I cut in?" Todd asked them.

"Of course," Harry replied. He moved out of the way and Hermione put her arms around Todd's neck and felt his hands around her waist. She relaxed, feeling much more comfortable in his arms.

They danced through several songs before the dj announced the last song. Her favorite song came on and immediately more people flooded onto the floor.

"Could I have this dance?" Todd asked. Hermione giggled and nodded. She looked around at the other couples and saw Harry dancing with a girl with red hair as bright as Ginny's. She silently hoped it wasn't her because she knew he needed to get over her.

The song ended too soon for Hermione and they met up with her parents. Todd walked her out to her family's car and kissed her. It wasn't as awkward as it had been before. She felt herself relax into it and she knew that this is how it should be. She knew it wasn't Ron, but Todd was almost as good and she was meant to be with Todd.

"Hermione?" Todd asked before Hermione got into the van.

"Yes, Todd?" she replied, looking into his eyes.

"Will you go out with me tomorrow night? I was thinking we could catch a movie and then go to dinner."

"I would be delighted, Todd." She giggled at his relieved look and gave his a kiss on the cheek before opening the van door.

"Hermione, you look beautiful tonight," he added before she got in.

"Thank you. You didn't look too bad yourself," she joked. He walked away, hitching his thumbs in his suit pockets. She shut the door and sat down in her seat and sighed.

* * *

**The next chapter you get the good news! Only 2 more left!**


	9. Finally Complete

* * *

Hermione came home from her date with Todd the next night happier and lighter than she had been in months.

"Bye, Todd," she said as they stood on her front porch in the cool night air. "I had a great time."

Todd kissed her goodnight and drove off in his car. She sighed and walked inside. She expected her parents to be awake, but she found the lights off and the house quiet. She locked the door behind her and ran up the stairs.

'Thank goodness these stairs are carpeted,' she thought. She shut her bedroom door as quietly as possible and turned her light on. She sat on her bed and sighed. The night had passed so quickly with dinner and a movie and then Todd surprising her with a trip to the beach.

She fell asleep, still in her clothes with a smile on her face.

* * *

Sunlight flooded into Hermione's bedroom the next morning and flowed through her eyelids. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

'Mum and Dad must have tucked me in when they got up this morning,' she thought after finding herself under the quilt. She looked at the clock to see that it read 11:00. 'Wow, they really let me sleep in today.'

She groggily got up and walked down the stairs. Ethan, Annisa, Megan and Kaelyn were already eating breakfast when she reached the dining room. Her father was still home, which was weird, even though it was a Saturday.

"Good morning, Hermione dear," her mother said, giving her a kiss on the cheek and placing a plate in front of her.

"What are you doing here, Dad?" she asked, confused.

"I don't have to work on Saturdays any more. I occasionally go with your mother to work later in the afternoon," he replied, picking up his coffee mug.

"Why hasn't Mum left yet?"

"I don't leave till noon. My appointments don't start until one. I like my Saturday schedule some much more," Mrs. Granger replied, taking a seat next to Kaelyn and attempting to feed her.

'Wow, a lot has changed in the past year,' Hermione thought as she looked down at her plate.

"Hermione, aren't you hungry?" Annisa asked.

"No, not really," she replied.

"Why not?"

"I'm just not. I had a long night last night." She rested her head in her hands and sighed as she thought about the night before. It had ended on a lovely note with the two of them lying side by side in the sand at the beach.

"Hermione, before you go off into daydream and cloud land, could you please put your plate in the sink?" her father asked.

"Sure," she replied. She hopped up off her chair, scraped her half-eaten food into the garbage and placed the plate in the sink. She ran upstairs and showered.

As the warm water relaxed her muscles, memories flooded her mind. She sighed and realized that she had been doing a lot of that lately.

FLASHBACK

Todd pulled up in front of the Granger house and walked up the steps just as Hermione pulled her dress over her head. She heard the doorbell ring downstairs and hurried to put her shoes on.

Annisa opened the door, with Ethan tagging along behind her.

"Hi Todd!" Ethan yelled happily. Hermione hoped they wouldn't say anything embarrassing. She hurried down the steps, grabbing her purse off the hook in the hallway on her way to the front door.

"Hey Hermione," Todd said over top of Ethan and Annisa's babbling.

"Hey, Todd," she replied, smiling. "Ethan, Annisa, why don't you go find Megan and Kaelyn and play with them?"

"Okay!" the two answered and ran off somewhere upstairs.

The couple left, pulling the door closed behind them. Todd drove them to a nice restaurant in downtown London, down the street from the movie theater. They finished their supper, which had been uneventful, and walked to the theater. Todd had already bought the tickets, so they walked right in.

About five minutes into the actual movie, Todd put his arm around Hermione's shoulder. She relaxed into it, realizing that it felt even more right than Ron's arm around her had felt. The movie ended and Todd gave her a sweet but gentle kiss. He told her to get in the car and keep her eyes closed until he told her to open them.

She had difficulty doing this; it was a long car ride. Finally, though, Todd told her that she could open her eyes. Her eyes fluttered open and saw the beautiful beach before her.

"Oh Todd, it's so lovely!" she exclaimed. They got out of his car and she raced him to the waterside. She took her shoes off and dipped her feet in the cold water.

They ended up kissing and lying next to each other in the warm sand.

"Hermione?" he asked.

"Yes, Todd?" she replied.

"I've wanted to ask you this since I met you when you were in the fifth grade. Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes, Todd, I will. I've been waiting for you to ask me that for a long time."

And for the first time since she and Ron were officially over, she was comfortable in a relationship.

END OF FLASHBACK

Hermione heard the phone ring, breaking into her thoughts.

'I wonder how long I've been in here,' she thought.

"Hermione Jane Granger, time's up! You've been in that shower way too long!" her father called up the stairs.

'Well, that answers part of my question.'

She turned the water off and wrapped a towel around her. She walked into her room and changed into her clothes. She ran down the stairs and saw her mother on the phone, looking ecstatic.

"Thank you so much for letting us know so soon!" she exclaimed. "You won't regret it, ma'am."

Mrs. Granger hung up the phone and pushed her hair back out of her eyes. Hermione saw tears in her eyes when she whipped around.

"Hermione, I didn't realize you were standing there!" she exclaimed, wrapping her in a hug.

"What won't she regret?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Oh, you'll find out in a little bit. I have to go into work now. Make supper, would you? At around 5 o'clock, please. Oh, forget it, order out. Call the Chinese restaurant and order our usual meal."

Her mother ran out the front door with her father tagging behind her, leaving Hermione standing in the hallway, clearly befuddled.

She walked through the house and found herself standing at the back door. She found Megan and Kaelyn sitting in their highchairs at the back door, watching Ethan and Annisa swing. Kaelyn began to cry when she saw Hermione, so Hermione picked her up and found that her sister needed a diaper change.

Five o'clock came too quickly and Hermione called the Chinese restaurant to have them deliver their meal. She began to set the table and get her siblings ready for dinner.

Her parents rushed into the house just moments after Hermione had put the food on the table. The family ate quietly until Hermione couldn't stand it anymore.

"Mum, what was the phone call about earlier?" she burst out, setting her fork down on her plate.

"Well, this is the biggest reason that we moved into this house. We weren't sure whether they were going to allow us to, but we knew that there was a good chance that they would," her father began.

"The lady who called today was from social services. Her boss has finally gotten around to looking at our paperwork and after some consideration, we've been approved to adopt Annisa and Ethan!" her mother exclaimed.

"So instead of just Kaelyn, I get Annisa and Ethan for siblings?" Hermione asked, making sure that she hadn't misheard her parents.

"Yes, Hermione, you now have 3 siblings!" her father exclaimed. "So even though Ethan and Annisa have already been calling us Mum and Dad for a while, it's now official!"

Hermione was ecstatic, but she realized something amongst their joy. "But what about Megan?" she asked.

"Dear, Megan's mum still wants her. She just wanted to wait until she was out of school. If anything changes, though, we'll try to adopt her, too. But the way it stands now her mother is still planning on taking care of her," her mother said.

"Ethan starts kindergarten this year, doesn't he?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, indeed, he does."

'The Granger family is finally how it was meant to be," Hermione thought as she climbed into bed that night.

* * *

**Yay! Hermione now has 3 siblings instead of just one! And who knows, maybe Megan will be adopted by them. You'll find out in the next and last chapter. Only one chapter left!**


	10. Happily Ever After?

* * *

Hermione attended Oxford University for 4 years, but decided to use her magical abilities in a job instead of her Muggle degree. She married Todd and they moved down the street from their parents. They had two children of their own, and decided to follow her parents' path and go into foster care.

Harry and Ginny got married after many fights and disagreements. They had several miscarriages before their only child, Chase Landon, was born healthy. Harry became an Auror while Ginny stayed at home until Chase was old enough to go to Muggle grade school. She then became a Healer at St. Mungo's.

Ethan was never reunited with his mother and father. They were sentenced to a life in jail for child abuse, manslaughter, murder, and unconfirmed rape. He did, however, get to see his older sister when he turned sixteen. She had been tracked down by social services at the request of the Grangers and showed up at his birthday party that year.

Annisa located her birth mother after she turned eighteen. She learned that her mother and father had engaged in premarital sex at the early age of 15. She had been born on her mother's 16th birthday and put up for adoption. When she had turned a year old and was still in the care of the adoption agency, social services had stepped in and put her in foster care. Her birth father had died in a motorcycle accident when she was 5 years old.

Megan's mother decided to leave her in foster care for four years later than she had originally intended. Her mother graduated college and Megan returned to her mother at the age of 7 years old. She found out that her parents had gotten married despite the fact that they were teenage lovers.

Kalynn attended Hogwarts and followed in her older sister's footsteps. She graduated top of her class and on all of the teachers' good sides.

Both of Hermione's children attended Hogwarts as well as one of her foster children. Hermione and Harry kept in touch. Their children even became friends. Almost everything ended perfectly for Hermione Jane Granger. She was missing Ron and felt incomplete. But she knew that he was watching out for her family.


End file.
